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YU hackathon to inspire Jewish technological innovation

Beginning Saturday, May 7 at 10:00 p.m. and ending Sunday, May 8 at 10:00 p.m., Yeshiva University students will host a hackathon—a 24-hour event designed to foster technological innovation and creativity—in the University’s Height Lounge, 515 West 185th Street, New York City.

Titled “Reinvent:YU,” the event will promote activism by bringing together hundreds of local high school and university students to collaborate on original projects that run the gamut from apps and games to robots and other kinds of inventions that can benefit Jewish communities.

While hackathons have become increasingly common in higher education and the technology sector as a quick way to brainstorm and develop exciting new content, they are often held on Saturdays during the course of Shabbat, making them inaccessible to observant Jewish students interested in contributing.

The YU hackathon will provide a venue for those students to work together in teams and share their skills—whether that means coding, graphic design, conceptual thinking or marketing—to build out working prototypes that can take their ideas to the next level. YU alumni currently working for technology giants like Google and Microsoft as well as companies like JPMorgan Chase and Bloomberg will be on hand to guide teams, offer advice and discuss their experience in the field.

Participants do not need expertise in coding, a design idea or predetermined collaborators to join in—the hackathon will feature many activities and tools designed to get creative thought processes going and connect students organically with teammates.

“A hackathon brings together individuals who are passionate about technology and believe in coming together to collaborate, develop, and produce an innovative idea,” said Sarah Nagar of the Computer Science Club at Stern College for Women.

“We anticipate that the hackathon will be one of the largest Jewish tech gatherings in North America,” she added.

“We are envisioning a space where students of all backgrounds can creatively use code to motivate people to make the world a better place,” said Aaron Landy, lead organizer of the hackathon. “There are not enough Jewish developers, coders and designers in the tech industry and we’re hoping this event will jumpstart many young Jewish students to realize how cool and easy it is to take their dreams from idea to working product.”

The event is free and open to the public but registration is required. To register or for more information, please visit www.reinventyu.com.